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Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |i
1. INTRODUCTION
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been working to create new education
opportunities and upgrading healthcare professional career pathway in Malaysia. The
training management division of MOH manages 30 different allied health institutions
offering training for nurses, assistant medical officer(s), assistant environmental health,
pharmacy assistant and other allied health professionals. In addition, private sector also
provides health sciences training to cater for the increasing demand in manpower of the
healthcare industry.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF MOH COLLEGES
The first nursing college was established in 1947 in Pulau Pinang by Sir Donald
Mc Gilivray K.C.M.G, M.B.E. Previously it was known as Nursing School Pulau Pinang
and started with basic training in nursing and post basic training. Nursing practice in the
pre-war period in Malaya was carried out by nurses who received “on the job training”
with lectures given by expatriates i.e. by European sisters, matrons and Doctors at the
hospital level. After Independence, health services became mainly a central government
responsibility with delegation of service delivery through state and district health
administration.
Prior to the 1940s, each straits/settlement were in charge of their own nursing
services. All states were responsible to the director of medical services. The nurses
lectures in practice and theory of nursing from the matron or assistant matron of the
hospital. The doctors gave lectures to both nurses and hospital assistant. They sat for
their own state examination and the standards vary from one state to another. Upon
completion from training, nurses were promoted to staff nurse and later if considered
suitable they become senior staff nurse.
Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |1

The second institution established was Kolej Pembantu Perubatan Ulu Kinta
which trained all Medical Assistant or Assistant Medical Officer (AMO) to fulfill the need
of Malaysian healthcare. It was first operated in January 1992 with basic training of
AMO. Even though the college existed since 1956, previously it was used to train
assistant nurses and other health care assistant(s). Then, MOH expanded its training
facilities further with almost one training college in every state.
During the 7th Malaysia Plan, the government approved the development of five
College of Allied Health Sciences or Kolej Sains Kesihatan Bersekutu (KSKB) under
Ministry of Health namely KSKB Sg. Buloh, KSKB Kota Kinabalu, KSKB Kuching, KSKB
Johor Bharu, and KSKB Ulu Kinta due to the higher need for professional health
services. The Allied Health Sciences College main objective is to conduct academic
training programme in semi-professional health sciences in tandem with the manpower
need especially in the field of health sciences while cultivating a positive attitude and
character building, innovative and able to compete globally in the field of health
sciences. Under KSKB, few programmes were run together, for example nursing,
Assistant Medical Officer (AMO), physiotherapy, Radiography and Radiotherapy,
Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy Assistant and Environmental Health. This give early
exposure to multidisciplinary profession. Establishment of KSKB also allow better
resource planning of bigger facilities with high technology equipment.
1.2 RATIONALE OF THE STUDY
During the 11th Malaysia Plan Meeting for Enhancing Healthcare Strategic Paper
with the Health Minister in 2014, members of the meeting concluded that there is a need
for expansion and upgrading of MOH training functions (facility) and capacity building
including conferring basic degree and professional development for healthcare
personnel.

Upgrading healthcare professional qualification from diploma to degree level
does have its merit in term of quality of graduates. Pardue (1987) noted nurses with
master's and baccalaureate degrees had the highest scores in critical thinking ability, as
compared to diploma and associate-degree holders. Similar findings were noted by
Bartlett et al (2000) and Fero et al (2009) where they found that the degree nurses
appear to be able to overcome initial limitations and become more competent than the
diploma holders in certain areas. Swindles et al (2003) also noted that nurses and
midwives with degrees scored significantly different from the diplomates in certain
attributes and skills.
Thus Institute for Health Management was given a task to look at the gap
analysis of current training colleges based on the criteria for upgrading to a university
college/university.

2.0 OBJECTIVES
2.1 General Objectives
a. To analyse the gap of MOH training colleges to become a university college

based on the eleven criteria for upgrading to a university college/university.
2.2 Specific Objectives
a. To analyse the current capacity of MOH colleges based on upgrading criteria

b. To explore issues and challenges for upgrading to a university college/university
The study was divided into phase 1 (Qualitative Method) and phase 2 (Quantitative
Method). For study methodology and results, we presented as phase 1 and phase 2,
while for discussion and recommendation presented as combination of phase 1 and
phase 2

3.0 METHODOLOGY
3.1 CRITERIA FOR UPGRADING TO UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
Under Malaysia Qualifying Agency (MQA) and Ministry of Education, to be establish

as University College, an institute must fulfil eleven criteria as below (Table 1):
Table 1: Criteria for Upgrading from College to University College
Criteria Details
1. Experience  The institution must have been operating for at least 5

years as a college (starting from the date of institution
registration under the Act 555)
2. Paid Up Capital  Institution must have at least RM15 million Paid-up

Capital (during the submission of application)
 Minimum equity own by Bumiputera is 30%
 Institution must forward current audited financial report at
College level
 Institution must forward 5 years financial projection once
upgraded to University College
3. Lecture Workforce  At least 15% of current lecturer workforce holds PhD in a

field of study which is approved by Ministry of Higher
Education
 At least 60% of current lecturer workforce holds Masters
 At least 60% of current lecturer workforce is full time
lecturers and 30% as part time lecturers
4. Research and  The institution must allocate 10% of university college

Development operational costs specifically for Research &
Development (R&D)
 Lecturer with more than 5 years experience are required
to conduct 4 research and publish 5 article in academic
journal

Criteria Details
5. Quality of Training  At least 75 % of programs offered at the institution must

Programs have full accreditation, including those which are in
collaboration with other institutes of higher education
(IPT) during the submission of application
 Minimum of 5 programmes run in collaboration with other
institutes of higher education either locally or foreign
institute (2+1/3+0+/ 4+0/2+2). All collaboration
programme must be accredited
 60% of programs at Certificate and Diploma levels
(offered at college level) to be product of home grown
curriculum
Sound Internal Quality  Institution applying for an upgrade must provide evidence
Assurance System of quality assurance system used at college level
 To state clearly on Examinations and assessment system
at college level and proposed improvement at university
college level
 Institution need to show promotional activities of home
grown training programmes internationally
Premises  Within 3 years after upgrade, the institution need to

propose premise development plan (purpose built
campus)
International  The institution must have at least 10% international

students
Management of student  Institution must have clear fee-refund policy to its

affairs and student welfare prospective students
 To allocate RM100,000 yearly for scholarships or
bursaries for qualified students
 Institution must provide accommodations for at least 40%
of the students especially year 1 students
 Institution must set up an International Students Affairs
Office to look after the welfare of international students
Governance  At least 40% of the highest governance (Vice- Chancellor,

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dean and Heads of

Criteria Details
Departments) must be qualified with Masters and PhD.

The candidates must have at least 5 years’ experience in
managing and governing IPT
 Chief Executive Officer or Vice Chancellor must have
PhD qualification and minimum of 8 years managing and
governing IPT
Clear Vision, Mission and  To provide clear statement on vision, mission and rational
Rational for formation for upgrading

3.2 STUDY FRAMEWORK
Phase 1: Qualitative study
 Development of questions for Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and In-depth

Interview (IDI) by the researchers based on the eleven criteria for upgrading to
University College/University
 FGD and IDI were conducted with relevant stakeholder
 Transcription of FGD and IDI
 Thematic analysis and triangulation of verbatim
Phase 2: Quantitative study
 Development and validation of questionnaire

a. The questionnaire was developed by research team, based on the themes
identified in FGD and IDI and adaptation from “Changing Academic
Profession” questionnaire
b. Questionnaire validation among trainers at KSKB Sg Buloh
 Part 1
i. Secondary data : data on human resource(trainers), research, budget,
facility and students intake from each college
 Part 2
i. Self-administered questionnaire
 Workshop with representative of each MOH colleges on way of
answering the questionnaire
 Questionnaire were distributed to college representative
 Completed questionnaire returned to researcher
 Data entry and analysis

3.3 STUDY METHODOLOGY
This is a cross sectional study using a mixed method approach (qualitative and
quantitative method)
3.3.1 PHASE 1: QUALITATIVE STUDY
3.3.1.1 Study Period
Data collection were conducted from the month of April 2016 until the month of
July 2016.
3.3.1.2 Study Site
For Qualitative method, seven MOH colleges were involved namely:
i. KSKB Sultan Azlan Shah, Ulu Kinta

ii. KSKB Sg Buloh
iii. KSKB Kota Kinabalu
iv. KSKB Kuching
v. Kolej Kejururawatan Melaka
vi. Kolej Kejururawatan Sandakan
vii. Kolej Kejururawatan Sibu
3.3.1.3 Sample Size and Sampling Method
Purposive sampling was used to select respondents for FGD and IDI. Each
group of FGD consisted of five to eight respondents. They represent all the stakeholder
such as medical development division, training management division, human resource

division, nursing board, nursing division, nursing union, nursing association, assistant
medical board, allied health representatives, pharmacy board and college trainers.
Trainers from various profession background such as nurses, Assistant Medical Officer,
occupational therapy, physiotherapy participated in FGDs purposes. College directors,
Ministry of Education (Unit Universiti Swasta, Bahagian Pendaftaran dan Piawaian,
Jabatan Pendidikan Tinggi) and Training Management Division, MOH were interviewed
to gain input from the authority perspective.
3.3.1.4 Study Tool
A semi-structured questions was used to identify the issues and challenges

among the trainers in MOH colleges and all relevant stakeholders through FGD and IDI
using These questions consisted of views on upgrading MOH colleges to University
College or university, gap analysis in terms of experience, paid-up capital, lecturer
workforce, quality of training programme, governance, facility or premises, research and
development, international, sound internal quality assurance system, management of
student welfare and ways of improvement.
3.3.1.5 Data Analysis
All interviews from FGDs and IDIs were transcribed verbatim and then analysed
by researcher team to minimize bias in identifying common themes from the
participants’ speech.
3.3.2 PHASE 2: QUANTITATIVE STUDY
3.3.2.1 Study Period
Data collection were conducted from the month of April 2016 until the month of
December 2016.
Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University P a g e | 10

3.3.2.2 Study Site
There are total of 30 MOH colleges were involved in phase 2 study namely:
i. Kolej Jururawat Masyarakat Kangar,
ii. Kolej Kejururawatan Sg Petani,
iii. Kolej Kejururawatan Alor Setar,
iv. Kolej Jururawat Masyarakat Kulim,
v. Kolej Pembantu Perubatan Alor Setar,
vi. Kolej Kejururawatan Bukit Mertajam
vii. KSKB Sultan Azlan Shah
viii. KSKB Sg Buloh,
ix. Kolej Kejururawatan Kuala Pilah
x. Kolej Pembantu Perubatan Seremban
xi. Kolej Kejururawatan Melaka
xii. KSKB Johor Bahru
xiii. Kolej Kejururawatan Muar
xiv. Kolej Jururawat Masyarakat Segamat
xv. Kolej Kejururawatan Kluang
xvi. Kolej Jururawat Masyarakat Batu Pahat
xvii. Kolej Kejururawatan Kuantan
xviii. Kolej Jururawat Masyarakat Jerantut
xix. Kolej Kejururawatan Kuala Terengganu
xx. Kolej Kesihatan Awam Batu Rakit
xxi. Kolej Kejururawatan Kubang Kerian
xxii. Kolej Jururawat Masyarakat Pasir Mas
xxiii. KSKB Kota Kinabalu
xxiv. Kolej Kejururawatan Sandakan
xxv. Kolej Jururawat Masyarakat Tawau
xxvi. KSKB Kuching
xxvii. Kolej Kejururawatan Sibu

xxviii. Kolej kesihatan Awam Kuching
xxix. Kolej Jururawat masyarakat Serian
3.3.2.3 Study Population
All MOH college trainers were sampled to answer the questionnaire.
3.3.2.4 Sample Size and Sampling Method
Universal sampling was applied for questionnaire whereby the samples included
all trainers in 30 MOH colleges (single colleges and KSKB) with total number of 1012
trainers.
3.3.2.5 Inclusion Criteria
Inclusion criteria for self-administered questionnaire:

 All trainers who were around during data collection (we excluded those who was
on leave)
3.3.2.6 Study Tool
Based on the identified themes from FGD, IDI, Changing Academic Profession
survey, we developed a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was
validated at KSKB Sg Buloh in October 2016. Thirty respondents were recruited for the
pre-testing of the questionnaire. Revisions of the questionnaire were done based on the
results of pre-testing.

The questionnaire covered four main sections;
i. Section A consisted of eight questions pertaining to respondent’s

background and profile. It covered age, gender, grade, year of service as
a trainer, year of service in MOH and level of education.
ii. Section B contained four questions related to teaching and learning

information. This section required the respondents to give their opinion on
working distribution and satisfaction level towards facilities in supporting
them to function as a trainer.
The ‘facilities’ factor composed of eleven sub-variables. This item were
rated a 4-point Likert Scale. Respondents replying to this item indicated 1
for “not satisfied”, 2 “less satisfied”, 3 “satisfied” and 4 “most satisfied”.
iii. Section C comprised of 17 questions related to career and research

development. On the aspect of research, trainers’ perception on issues
related to Key Performance Indicator (KPI), knowledge and research
process were assessed. This item were given a 4-point Likert Scale.
Respondents replying to this item indicated 1 for “disagree”, 2 “less
agree”, 3 “agree” and 4 “strongly agree”.
iv. Section D indicate their opinion on upgrading to University College or

university.
Secondary data analysis from all MOH colleges were used to map the current
capacity of MOH colleges based on upgrading criteria (Table 1). The existing data
collected include college profile, trainers’ workforce (age, grade, highest level of
education, years of experience, and number of retired/resigned trainers), students
intake based on programme, facilities availability and research project conducted at the
respective college.

3.3.2.7 Source of Data
Secondary data including college profile and trainers’ workforce were gathered
from respective colleges, Training Management Division, Human Resource Division and
Ministry of Higher Education as supporting information used in triangulation process.
3.3.2.8 Data Analysis
Meanwhile, quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistic 24

software and excel.
3.3.2.9 Ethical consideration
Ethical clearance and approval to conduct this research was obtained from the
Medical and Ethics Committee (MREC), Ministry of Health Malaysia prior to the conduct
of the study.

4.0 RESULTS
4.1 QUALITATIVE RESULTS
Fourteen FGD sessions were conducted with total of 104 participants from
medical development division, training management division, human resource division,
nursing board, nursing division, nursing union, nursing association, assistant medical
board, allied health representatives, pharmacy board and college trainers. While eleven
IDI were conducted with College Directors, College Deputy Directors (Student Welfare
and Academic), President of Persatuan Pengajar Jururawat Semenanjung Malaysia and
President of Persatuan Pengajar. We also engaged with the Ministry of higher
Education (Unit Universiti Swasta, Bahagian Pendaftaran dan Piawaian, Jabatan
Pendidikan Tinggi). Six themes were identified from the FGD and interview as below:
a. Lecturer Workforce
b. Research and Development
c. Quality of Training Programme
d. Sound Internal Quality Assurance System
e. Internationalisation
f. Management of Student Affairs and Student Welfare
4.1.1 Lecturer Workforce
Human resource are the most critical backbone of any learning institution.
Dedicated and quality trainers contribute greatly to the college as they impart
knowledge, skills and attitude to the students, moulding them to become competent and
safe healthcare provider. There are six subthemes under lecturer workforce as shown in
Figure 2.

Local Preceptor
Supportive
Working Trainer
Environment capacity
Lecturer
Workforce
Work Trainer
Distribution qualification
Career
Pathway
Figure 2: Subthemes for Lecturer Workforce
a. Trainer Capacity
Capacity building of the human resource is very important as this will equip
employees to achieve organizational goals. According to Ohemeng (2009), training and
empowerment are the key requirements to fully build the human resources capacity
which results in improving job performance.
The low trainer to student ratio may compromises on training quality. The
problem escalates when trainers go on leave to pursue post graduate studies especially
when no available temporary or relief trainers to fill in the vacant positions. This will add
extra burden to remaining trainers to ensure students get adequate teaching and
supervision. Students who are posted in hospitals for clinical attachment will also be
affected as the less trainers available to monitor their progress. The issues voiced out
are as below:

...Bila student kita ramai, kita akan hantar clinical ke tiga centre HTAR, HKL, Hospital
Sungai Buloh. Jadi, perlukan ramai pengajar. Jadi kalau satu tahun, kita hantar 6 orang
untuk pergi kepada Master. Kat situ kita dah short, jadi akan menjadi satu issue, where
is pengajar, jadi kekangan ini yang dimaksudkan … (Trainer)
As 65% of current workforce age is above 40 and compulsory retirement age for
public servant is 60 years old, a succession plan is crucial to retain adequate numbers
of trainers for each college.
…Kita kena ada extra tenaga pengajar sebab kita punya tenaga pengajar pun limited
towards yang mahu pencen jadi kita kehilangan tenaga pengajar yang berpengalaman…
(Trainer)
...bilangan pengajar tak cukup. Yang sekarang ni kalau kita lhat ,ratio pengajar dengan
student tu sepatutnya 1 to 20 tapi di sini untuk programme MA, contohnya kita 1 in 40 ,
nursing pun lebih daripada daripada 1 in 20 … (Deputy Director)
b. Trainer Qualification
…Qualification pengajar itu sendiri perlu ada. Bukan kalau degree, mengajar degree.
Tapi setiap pengajar tu perlu dinaiktarafkan jugak, maksudnya majoriti pengajar perlu
ada Master minimum … (Trainer)
…Now most of the trainers are only degree. So in order to upgrade to university, we
need to upgrade all the tutors to Masters at least. I think the percentage of Masters is
very small in every college… (Trainer)
In order to meet the criteria of upgrading as a University College whereby we

need 15% of lecturers with PhD and 60% with Masters, the trainers need to upgrade
their qualification through a well-planned strategy. At the moment, very limited

resources and opportunities available for the trainers to pursue their post graduate
studies.
…Tapi sekarang ni kalau master memang sangat limited macam kalau ILKKM saja
boleh dapat 1-2 orang saja all over Malaysia. Kalau untuk kuota untuk tahun tu sudah
ade 2 orang so tunggu la next year… (Trainer)
c. Career Pathway
At present, trainers in MOH colleges do not have clear career pathway and
opportunities to earn promotions are limited. This is partly due to different scheme of
appointment as their counterpart within clinical service. Despite completion of extra
qualification such as Master and PhD, that qualifications do not add weightage for
promotion as the promotion within the scheme is only time based. This is one of the
push factors for them not to stay in the MOH colleges, due to the lack of incentives.
…Pengajar yang mempunyai Masters atau PhD tu, gred dia mesti di upgrade jugak lah.
Jangan sama saja, macam ada master pun tetap jugak 41, tetap kena tunggu seniority
jugak untuk dia naik … (Trainer)
…pergerakan tu like myself, I punya degree tahun 96-97. I was a staff nurse masa tu,
move to college in 2005, it takes saya 7 years untuk nak mendapatkan 41… (Trainer)
…Career pathway tu patut lebih jelas. Mereka yang ada master mungkin mempunyai
gred yang lebih tinggi. Yang ada PhD, gred lebih tinggi. Ini akan menjadi satu motivasi
kepada pengajar sebab dengan kelayakan akademik dia boleh naik gred… (Trainer)
…Tapi kita dah demotivated sebab kita punya career pathway tu takde ke mana mana,
kat sni, kat sini aje … (Trainer)

d. Work Distribution
Trainers are not only teach students but they also carry out research and
administrative tasks. Issues of being burdened with other seemingly trivial activities
such as co-curriculum supervision are some of the challenges they have to endure.
…Sebab kebanyakan dari kami ni penyelaras semester. Selain daripada keperluan

untuk latihan student kami kene buat koko, kokurikulum. Sekarang dah ade kokurikulum
dimana setiap pelatih dia ade hours yang mesti capai… (Trainer)
…Kalau ada perubahan tu, kita pengajar ni, kita kena buat banyak kerja-kerja admin
jugalah contohnya perolehan, aset, semua masuklah. … (Trainer)
… Beside our academic activities, we have a lot of co-curricular activity that which BPL
want us to organize like Majlis Tilawah, choir competition, sports. So that one take out
quite a lot of their time la… (Director)
So you have to do a lot in terms of teaching, the management aspect and also, and
supervising the co-curricular for the students… (Senior trainer)
e. Supportive Working Environment
All the trainers agree the clinicians at the MOH hospitals and top management
provide supportive environment where teaching is concerned. The top management
also support the trainers who need to further their studies and coping with the burden of
work.
…because I got very full support from the specialist for orthopaedic as well as
anaesthesia. In term of gerontology, very short of specialist here. That one we still have
to send our student to kl to get, to get exposure… (Trainer)

“Jika tutor berhasrat untuk melanjutkan pelajaran, kami akan berbincang dengan ketua
program beliau “Can you cope if this tutor goes away to further their studies?”. Jika
mereka bersetuju, permohonan itu akan dihantar ke BPL. Saya sangat menyokong
usaha tutor saya yang ingin melanjutkan pelajaran ke peringkat Master atau PhD kerana
saya fikir mereka adalah aset kepada kolej kita” (College director)
f. Local Preceptor (LP)
In MOH colleges, nurses based in clinical setting who were involved in teaching
and monitoring student in their hospitals or clinic, were called as local preceptor. They
act as a nurse who teaches, supports, counsels, coaches, evaluates, serves as role
model and aids in the socialization of student nurses to a new role. Their involvement as
local preceptor are being recognised and included in their Sasaran Kerja Tahunan
(SKT). However, this is done on voluntary basis with no remuneration or financial
benefit. On the other hand, private colleges or university pay their LP which increase
their motivation and commitment.
…Kalau private dia bayar local preceptor. Diaorang tak nak jadi LP kita sebab hanya
tulis dengan SKT sahaja. Tak de imbuhan… (Trainer)
4.1.2 Research and Development
Research and publication are two main requirements in the job duties of
academicians at higher learning institutions. To upgrade colleges to University College,
this will pose a challenge to the trainers in MOH colleges as their role has traditionally
been teaching oriented. Research activities however were the least priorities for
trainers due to other responsibilities. Through FGDs and IDIs, there were six
subthemes as shown in Figure 3 related to Research and Development.

Resources and
References
Research Time Allocation

Output
Research and
Development
Incentives or Foundation for

Reward Research
Research
Culture
Figure 3: Subthemes for Research and Development
a. Time Allocation
Trainers spent most time on academic task, followed by administrative and co-
curriculum activities supervision causing less time available for research activity.
…Tapi kebanyakannya dia tak boleh capai, sebab komitmen dengan kerja-kerja
pengurusan yang remeh-temeh nilah. Kena buat, kena incharge benda tu… (Trainer)
… untuk membuat research tersebut tetapi msih lagi kekangan jugak, dari segi jumlah
jam mengajar yang terlalu padat… (Trainer)

b. Resources and References
Literature review is an essential part of research where researcher can

understand previous research done on particular topic, where evaluation of available
evidence and knowledge may direct researcher to conduct new studies that can
contribute to the knowledge. In order to perform comprehensive literature review, one
need access to databases, high impact journals to get the latest articles on the studied
topic. With limited access to this databases and research materials, the trainers found it
hard to conduct research.
…In terms of looking for information pun memang limited la. Satu, kita nak access,
kedua, in terms of looking for literature review, we don't have yang printed punya
literature review sebab library kami very limited… (Trainer)
…The limitation is that we don’t have that, what we call the website for us to go into to
get our literature review because last time they give us the one, we try to go in but not
many articles we can find. Every time we want to look for this article, we have to pay. It
is expensive, you see... (Trainer)
Research grant availability was also highlighted as the stumble block for trainers
to uptake research project.
…in terms of budget, kita macam tiada fund for research… (Trainer)
…Peruntukan untuk dapatkan tu susah sangat. Yang ni memang takde lah… (Trainer)
c. Foundation for Research
Most trainers felt that they have gained basic knowledge in research during their
diploma or degree studies. Therefore, they feel they are capable to conduct research, if
given the opportunity. However regular update on the knowledge are needed to improve
the trainers capability in research.

…I think doctor, capability, I think all got expose basic to do a research. I think shouldn’t
be any problems… (Trainer)
…Kalau dari segi latar belakang semua pengajar-pengajar di dalam terutama di dalam
program pembantu perubatan, mereka sudah didedahkan berkaitan dengan research ni
masa di peringkat diploma lagi. Masa ambil degree jugak, ada jugak subject research.
So jadi untuk menjalankan research tu, memang tidak jadi masalah… (Trainer)
d. Research Culture
Conducting research is not compulsory but the trainers are highly encourage to
take up research projects. Some colleges started with one research project per year
which included in their Key Performance Indicator (KPI).
…Research done by the staff, that is the requirement by the BPL so one year we
produce one research… (Director)
…I personally feel that if you have a master, you will be more geared towards research.
You will have that, you know that will be charismatic enough and have that level of
confidence compare to you just having basic degree… (Trainer)
…Cuma saya berpendapat dari segi budaya research tu belum sampai ke tahap di
mana everybody kena buat. Sebab yang kita diberi assign untuk buat satu research
every year pun kita alihkan kepada program, tu pun agak sukar sedikit untuk kita…
(Trainer)
e. Research Output
For those who are actively involved in research, they are faced with difficulty in
terms of research output and impact of the research.
…nak publish kat mana, semua takde. Kita tak nampak pun benda tu..untuk apa kita
buat tu memang takdelah.. Tapi kita tak nampak pun hasil kita akan dipublish di mana

mana ke atau ade satu tempat yang akan diletak untuk jadi bahan rujukan orang lain …
(Trainer)
… So far I don’t think they are aiming for competition and or all that. They just do
actually based on requirement … (Director)
f. Rewards and Incentives
Even though research is highlighted as capacity building for educational staff or

trainer, but there are no incentives provided or rewarded to those involved in research
as part of job promotion as compared to their peers in university settings.
...For the people to get more interested for all this research paper because this is not
easy to do the research. So need to have some difference in term of giving them some
incentive… (Trainer)
…Normally there isn't any Incentive. So actually self-satisfaction that you will come once
you completed your research… (Director)
g. Supportive Working Environment for Research
Support either from clinician or researcher is important for the trainers to move
forward in their research activities.
…We always collaborate with our hospital. Especially with the specialist. If you can
come for a few occasions, our students presenting paper in front a specialist. And then
the tutors, the senior tutors become the panel for the assessment. So, I think it’s not the
issue of research… (Director)
…We do participate in the CRC National Research Day, we ask them to come in to
participate and we do organise some international conference to expose them to all the
research presentation, all this thing that will help them to gain the confidence…
(Director)

4.1.3 Quality of Training Programme
Even though all the training programme in MOH colleges are actually home
grown curriculum, only two of the pos basic programme (Breast Imaging and Midwifery)
are actually been accredited by Malaysian Qualifying Agency (MQA). As per MQA
guideline /regulation, in order to establish as per University College, all programmes
must be accredited by MQA. Most of the trainers find that current curriculum is trainers’
dependant where less critical thinking from the students.
…sessi teori sekarang ini, student banyak bergantung kepada lecture yang diberikan
oleh pengajar, more towards spoon feeding… (Trainer)
… The log book is good to make the student practice the procedure but the one thing is
that we overemphasize on the log book, the student will be very task oriented. After they
complete the log book, they are not keen to do the procedure anymore… (Director)
Curriculum need to be reviewed regularly to be in line with current update &

latest evidence. According to the trainers, some components of the curriculum was
outdated where there was gap between what been taught and practice. The proses of
upgrading or reviewing the curriculum also is very slow.
… Bagi saya kalau untuk orthopaedic saja setakat ini sebab curriculum tu sudah terlalu
lama jadi content di dalam curriculum tu pun sudah outdated jadi ada benda yang tidak
lagi dipraktiskan di bahagian clinical tetapi masih perlu diajar kepada pelatih …(Trainer)
… tentang community nursing, ada benda yang sudah tidak diamalkan di klinikal, tapi
masih ada di dalam kurikulum, contohnya mengukur lilitan dada. Jadi bila kita ajar, kita
akan ajar juga, nanti takut ada di dalam assessment pulak… (Trainer)
… kurikulum kita sekarang, tidak diupgrade dengan yang baru. Banyak procedure yang
telah outdated. Benda tu dah taka da lagi dekat luar, tapi masih wujud dalam
kurikulum… (Trainer)

… macam kita sekarang I, for example, public health nursing, kita punya kurikulum yang
digunakan adalah dari tahun 2009, ini sudah 2016. Sepatutnya kurikulum itu selepas 5
tahun patut direview… (Trainer)
4.1.4 Sound Internal Quality Assurance System
Ministry of Health has established the Quality Assurance Programme (QAP) in

1983 as an initiative to monitor and evaluate the quality of health services. In August
2008, the first edition of Buku Garis Panduan Perlaksanaan Program Kepastian Kualiti
was published which contained all the indicators as a tool to monitor and evaluate the
training programme in all 33 MOH colleges.
…telah diwujudkan satu system penilaianlah, salah satu yang paling besar adalah audit
ISO lah, pemantauan kualiti, contoh cerapan dalam kelas yang dibuat oleh ketua
program… (Trainer)
… I lantik dia sebagai as ketua pasukan peningkatan quality. So that I want her to have
a different eye and different ears to look into each unit and whereby if there is any other
things that we need to sort of, increase in terms of quality. It may be small but may have
a big impact for the indication of it…. (Director)
4.1.5 Premises
Subthemes for Premises
a. Limited Facilities and Equipment
Academic facilities and equipment available in these MOH colleges are limited
and some of it were obsolete. With large number of students, the equipment and
teaching materials like mannequin in the laboratory were subject to wear and tear
faster.

Most trainers believed that well maintained and adequate learning and teaching
facilities will ensure more efficient or effective learning process.
…Dari segi makmal ketrampilan, semua kelengkapan memang ada, hanya sekadar, tapi
terhad la… (Trainer)
…KSKB buat masa sekarang ni ada, tetapi tidak mencukupi dan kalau tengok kepada
library ini saja jugak mungkin PC-PC yang ada tu agak outdated lah… (Trainer)
...Facilities wise, we are not ready yet, especially if we want to upgrade to degree. This
students now don’t look at books. They likes to go online. The constrain is our library,
like the Wi-Fi… (Trainer)
…sebab kalau sessi pembelajaran orthopaedik, kita ada banyak bahagian seperti
instrumen yang perlu ditunjuk ajar seperti prosedur tapi kelengkapan itu belum
tercapailah untuk kursus orthopaedik... (Trainer)
… We need simulation lab. At the moment, simulation lab is just at one corner only. If we
can have one simulation lab, that would be good. (Director)
Even though with the limited facilities and equipment, the colleges are benefited
from being nearby to hospitals where students can get access to hands on training.
College also get support from hospital administration and clinician to facilitate students
training.
… The good thing is we are near to the hospital. We can always make use of hospital
facility, to bring them to a real life practical session. That is much better la… (Director)

4.1.6 Internationalisation
Internationalization refers to the increasing permeability of national boundaries and

the increasing mobility of students and faculty across borders. Currently, MOH colleges
do not have any international student or any collaboration internationally. Furthermore,
the medium of teaching is in Bahasa Malaysia. Some trainers are able to teach in
English, however at various level of English proficiency.
…kurikulum yang baru semuanya pakai bahasa inggeris, tapi setakat yang lama belum
lagi…
…And if we cannot communicate with them because we speak Bahasa Malaysia. So I

don’t think we are able to accommodate them well at the moment, with our present
situation here…
..When you're talking about international students, we have to upgrade our English
language among the lectures… (Director)
…All the basic curriculum is English. But then the teaching is done in Bahasa…
(Director)
4.1.7 Management of Student Affairs and Student Welfare
Student Affairs, student welfare and logistics are taken care of by an officer in
charge. There are also representatives from the student society to ensure issues among
the students will be heard and address appropriately.
…Actually, we have MPP here, Majlis Pewakilan Pelatih, this majlis pewakilan pelatih
actually working hand in hand with us. So, most of the thing that they will do the, they will
do the planning and facilitated by us…. (Director)

…The student is a bit bigger. We have officer who is a TPHEP Timbalan Pengarah Hal
Ehwal Pelatih… (Director)
….Kita sediakan tempat yang terbersih bagi mereka belajar, kita sediakan asrama..
Even masa kita hantar mereka ke pusat latihan amali di luar kawasan pun, kita sediakan
tempat tinggal. Dari kolej ke hospital itu, kita sediakan pengangkutan dan makan minum
mereka... (Deputy Director)

4.2 QUANTITATIVE RESULTS
A total of 781 respondents answered the questionnaire with the response rate of
78.6%.
4.2.1 Lecturer Workforce
Table 1 provide a summary of current workforce of trainers in MOH College which is

dominated by female (82.1%) , age above 40 years old (65.2%) and grade U41
(74.2%).
Table 2: Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Trainers in MOH Colleges
Variables n* %
Gender
Male 181 17.9
Female 831 82.1
Age
<30 years 52 5.1
30 – 39 years 300 29.6
40 – 49 years 345 34.1
≥ 50 years 315 31.1
Level of Education
Diploma 10 1.0
Advance Diploma 54 5.3
Degree 747 73.8
Master 193 19.1
PhD 8 0.8
Grade
U41 751 74.2
U44 207 20.5
≥U48 54 5.3
* Data from MOH colleges and Human Resource Department, Ministry of Health Malaysia

In terms of trainers’ education level, the results showed that 73.8% of
respondents’ qualification of degree and 20% had Masters and doctorate degree.
Among those trainers with master qualification, two third of them are above 40 years
old. While 75% of trainers with degree are below 50 years old (Table 2).
Table 3: Level of Education and Age Group of Trainers in MOH Colleges*
Advance
Diploma Degree Master PhD
Age Group Diploma
n % n % n % n % n %
<30 0 0 0 0 51 6.9 1 0.5 0 0
30 - 39 2 20.0 0 0 245 32.8 53 27.5 0 0
40 - 49 3 30.0 7 13 261 34.9 69 35.7 5 62.5
≥ 50 5 50.0 47 87 190 25.4 70 36.3 3 37.5
Total 10 1% 54 5.3% 747 73.8% 193 19.1% 8 0.8%
* Data from MOH colleges and Human Resource Department, Ministry of Health Malaysia
The percentage task distribution differs significantly among the academician in

Western countries and Asia region. Trainers in MOH colleges spent very low amount of
their time in research (7.1%) as compared to other countries ranging between twenty to
thirty percent. Our trainers also spent most in teaching as compared to academicians
from other countries such as United Kingdom, Australia and Hong Kong.

Table 4: Distribution of Work Task among Academicians Worldwide and MOH
College’s Trainers
MEAN (%)
**UNITED *MOH
**AUSTRALIA **HONG KONG **MALAYSIA
KINGDOM COLLEGES
Teaching 36.9 38 41.7 47.6 62.1
Research 30.8 30.2 29.5 20.2 7.1
Administration 21.8 19.2 14.8 18.1 18.4
Service 3.2 6.3 7.4 7.4
Other academic 7.3 6.3 6.6 6.7 ***15.2
* Source: Survey among MOH trainers 2016

** Source: Changing Academic Profession Study 2010
***Co-Curriculum
4.2.2 Research and Development
More than 90% of respondents felt that possess basic knowledge in research
and they need a dedicated time to focus on research work (as shown in table 4). About
73% agree that contribution in research activities should be considered as part of job
promotion. More than 50% disagree that research should be listed as one of Key
Performance Indicator for the trainers.

Table 5: Trainers’ Perception on Research Activities
Agree
n %
I still need training in research 707 97.2
Knowledge I have basic knowledge on research 672 92.8
I am more comfortable doing research in a group 611 84.3
Research should be counted as part of promotion 535 73.8
Key Performance Research publication should be part of SKT for every lecturer 342 47.0
Indicator
Research should be part of SKT for every lecturer 328 45.2
I need a dedicated time to do research 707 97.5
I need a grant to do research 680 93.8

Research process
Every research needs to be registered in NMRR 635 87.3
All research publication should get approval from DG of Health 508 70.3
4.2.3 Sound Internal Quality Assurance System
One of the QAP indicator is trainers to student ratio which vary between diploma
programme (1:20) and post basic or advance diploma (1:10). This indicator will ensure
the adequate teaching and learning activities to be carried out effectively and efficiently
according to the curriculum and training objectives. However, due to human resource
constrains, some colleges may have high trainer to double student ratio of 1 to 48 or 1
to 58. There was the set number of students from 20 to 40 per trainers due to large
student intake (Table 5).

Table 6: Ratio Trainers to student in MOH colleges *
Ratio Trainers : Student

Jan–June July – Dec Jan–June July – Dec
2015 2015 2016 2016
Dipl. In Nursing 1:11 - 1:29 1:9 - 1:52 1:11 - 1:58 1:9 – 1:41
Dipl. In Medical Assistant 1:31 - 1:44 1:31 - 1:44 1:31 - 1:44 1:27 - 1:48
Dipl. Radiography/Radiotherapy 1:9 – 1:10 1:9 – 1:16 1:9 – 1:15 1:12 – 1:17
Dipl. In Environmental Health 1:19 - 1:25 1:18 – 1:24 1:16 – 1:23 1:19 – 1:23
Dipl. In Assistant Pharmacy 1:25 1:27 1:28 1:30
Dipl. In Physiotherapy 1:9 – 1:12 1:11 1:11-1:14 1:8 - 1:16
Dipl. In Occupational therapy 1:5 – 1:15 1:6 – 1:19 1:11 – 1:12 1:10 – 1:14
* Source: Laporan Kepastian Kualiti, Training Management Division 2015 -2016
4.2.4 Premises
Most of MOH colleges are equipped with standard education facilities.

However, the older colleges and single colleges might not have certain facilities such as
science lab, examination room or auditorium. Student welfare related facilities are
available in all colleges. Administrative building or facilities are satisfactorily equip and
available in MOH colleges (Figure 4, 5, 6).

Figure 4: Availability of Educational Facilities in MOH Colleges
Figure 5: Availability of Student Welfare Facilities in MOH Colleges

Figure 6: Availability of Administrative and Management Facilities in MOH
Colleges
More than 70% of trainers are satisfied with the facilities except for research
material, information and communication technology (ICT) and computer lab.
Even though these facilities are available but they are outdated and limited.
(Table 7, Figure 4, 5 and 6).

Table 7: Availability and Satisfaction level of Trainers towards Facilities in MOH
Colleges
Satisfied (%)
Facilities Availability (%)
N = 781
Research material Limited 48.1

ICT Outdated 48.8
Computer Lab 80.0 56.6
Simulation room 97.0 64.5
Teaching aids Outdated 72.9
Library 96.7 73.6
Examination room 16.7 76.4
Tutorial room 50.0 76.9
Lecture room/hall 100.0 79.0
Administrative office 90.0 79.5
KSKB comparatively was newer college compared to other colleges. It was

planned for larger facilities to accommodate multi programme offered. Hence,
compared to single college, KSKB are well equipped and able to accommodate
more students (table 8).

Table 8: Availability of Facilities in KSKB and Single Colleges
FACILITIES KSKB (%) SINGLE (%)
Lecture room/hall 100 100
Tutorial room 60 48
Science lab 100 24
Computer Lab 100 76

EDUCATIONAL
Simulation room 100 100
Examination room 40 12
Auditorium 100 28
Library 100 96
Co-curriculum facility 80 80
Counselling room 100 76
STUDENT WELFARE Student recreational area 80 64
Sick bay 100 80
Student activity room 60 40
Meeting room 100 100
Administrative office 100 88

ADMINISTRATIVE &
Secure storage room 100 96
MANAGEMENT
Academician workspace 100 80
Office of student affairs 80 56

4.2.5 Experience
All the MOH colleges have been operated for more than five years with Nursing
College, Pulau Pinang operated since 1947 and the newer one is KSKB Sultan Azlan
Shah, Ipoh which opened its door six years ago.
4.2.6 Paid-up Capital
Currently, all MOH colleges are funded by the Malaysian government. The
government spends an average of RM 460 million per year to run these 33 colleges as
shown in table 9.
Table 9: Financial Report of MOH Colleges 2013 – 2015 *
Object Code 2013 2014 2015 Total (RM)
10000 105,257,782.00 109,155,934.10 126,431,288.00 340,485,004.10
20000 88,070,249.00 95,894,580.62 93,902,269.00 277,867,098.62
30000 2,390,670.00 2,368,770.90 198,577.00 4,958,017.90
40000 244,313,403.00 253,132,319.70 244,223,086.40 741,668,809.10
Total (RM) 440,032,104.00 460,551,605.30 464,755,220.40 1,365,338,929.72
00105
(Latihan Dalam 1,004,058.00 890,000.00 804,704.47 2,698,762.47
Perkhidmatan)
* Data from Training Development Division, MOH

4.3 VIEWS OF UPGRADING MOH COLLEGES
More than 90% of respondent agree to upgrade the colleges to University

College or University and about 60% also agree the upgrading process through
corporatisation (figure 5 and 6).
Figure 7: Opinion on Upgrading MOH Colleges to University College or University
Figure 8: Opinion on Upgrading MOH Colleges through Corporatisation

Through the FGDs and IDI, respondents viewed the upgrading as an opportunity to
upgrade the profession and produce more market competitive graduates.
…Ia adalah tepat pada masanya untuk kita berubah daripada sistem yang sekarang ni
kepada sistem pengajian at higher level. Kalau kita compare kita dengan negara negara
lain dalam bidang kejururawatan, kita ni ketinggalan daripada sistem pembelajaran
kita… (Board Member)
…Pendidikan kejururawatan di seluruh dunia telah dipertingkatkan kepada peringkat

ijazah, that's paling minimum dan setinggi PhD even di bahagian pendidikan dan juga di
bahagian perkhidmatan. Jadi saya bersetuju sekiranya kolej universiti yang akan
ditubuhkan hasil dari institut latihan kesihatan ditukar ni semua dari segi fakultinya….
(Board Member)
…it is a good move to upgrade the standard of nursing in the country and it also provide
the future challenge in nursing which will be more or less like those expose with oversea
education. I thought we are lack in this move. It should have been done 20 to 25 years
before then would provide our younger generation with more job satisfaction, upgrading
their education and I think this is for the future of nursing and at the same time to
develop nursing the country... (Trainer)
…untuk menyahut cabaran dalam bidang pekerjaan masa kini sebab kita perlu bersaing
dengan pihak luar sebab setakat ni, kalau setakat kolej sahaja kemungkinan persaingan
itu kita yang paling bawah. Jika diwujudkan kolej universiti, kita boleh bersaing dengan
kompetetor luar, universiti awam dan luar negara. Ini memberi impak kepada pelatih
kita untuk mendapat peluang pekerjaan yang lebih baik… (Trainer)
…itu adalah satu langkah yang baiklah sebab dia akan dapat mengembangkan kerjaya
sebagai pengajar dan juga meningkatkan taraf kolej-kolej ni dimana kita akan bukan
sahaja train pelatih di peringkat diploma dan sijil tetapi ke peringkat ijazah… (Director)

5. DISCUSSION
Higher education in Malaysia is undergoing massive expansion and restructuring.

Upgrading the colleges to University College or University status will raise the standard
of qualification, quality of graduates and quality of trainers. This paper reports the
findings of a quantitative and qualitative study of the gap analysis and issues faced in
the upgrading criteria. The idea of the upgrading MOH colleges to University College or
University was welcomed by most of the trainers as the long term goal is to improve the
country’s overall healthcare service delivery and produce graduates who are at par with
their peers globally.
Naturally, valid concerns on various issues have risen and needs to be addressed
to ensure a smooth upgrading process. Limited job vacancies for nursing graduates due
to the shortage of posts available within the Ministry of Health. Private healthcare
facilities prefer to employ nurses with few years of experience as compared to fresh
graduates.
Around the world, there have been dramatic changes in nurses’ education
(Brammer and O’Brien, 2007). Tertiary qualifications for new nurses are the norm in
many nations. For example in Australia, to qualify for licensure as a professional
registered nurse, students must have completed an accredited degree of three years
duration (Heath, 2002. Research has demonstrated that a more highly educated nursing
workforce not only improves patient safety and quality of care but saves lives
(Bartlett et al, 2000; Fero et al, 2009; Swindles et al, 2003). However, even with the
upgrading, the Malaysian Nursing Board still see the need to have two-tier nurses as
the job specifications for diploma and degree nurses vary.
As any upgrading processes, there will be financial implications. The government

will need to shoulder the burden of improving the colleges in terms of infrastructure and
human resource capacity. The higher qualified trainers and graduates from these

University College or University will lead to higher incomes being paid by the Malaysian
government.
One of the options to achieve University College or University status is through

corporatisation. Issues involving the trainers related to corporatisation which need to be
taken into consideration are as below:
a. Status of trainers as government servant in terms of benefit, seniority and

pension.
b. Exit policy for those who do not agree with corporatisation; Will they be
absorbed back into the MOH clinical service
The Universities and University Colleges Act of 1971 was amended in 1995 to
pave the way for the corporatisation of public institutions. Through corporatisation, the
institution are expected to generate more income to cover for their own operating
expenses. This corporatisation era has seen greater infusion of corporate practices
such as quality assurance, capital budgeting, governance and many more into the
corporate culture of public universities. Since the corporatisation, these institutions have
become less financially dependent on the Government funds and have to seek their
own sources of revenue from private sources, such as offering consultancy services,
research and expert services (KE Hoque et al, 2013).
Human resource development is the most important factor in educational

institutions (Purba, 2015). Academician are the most valuable human capital as they
have the knowledge, skills and attitude to be transferred to the students (Purba and
Panday, 2014). They are also responsible to keep up to date with the latest knowledge,
technology and techniques in their field so that they can provide the institutions with
new findings and publications (Nazari et al, 2012; Awang et al, 2010; Malik et al, 2010;
Joolideh & Yeshodhara, 2008).

According to the criteria for upgrading, we need at least 15% of academician or
trainers with PhD and 60% with Masters. Currently we have very low numbers of
trainers who have completed post graduate education. Trainers above 45 years of age
have exceeded the age limit for any government sponsored Masters programme and
those above 50 years of age will not be able to apply for PhD through the government.
Hence the younger trainers are more motivated to pursue Master and PhD as compared
to the senior trainers.Our study also found that there was unclear career pathway for
trainers in MOH colleges and higher qualification doesn’t come with promotion or higher
salary but extra workload.
Majority of the trainers in MOH colleges are female and about 65% are age
above 40 years. As the public service retirement age in Malaysia is 60 years old, the
system is forecast to experience a shortage of trainers in the near future. Thus, we are
in dire need of a succession plan. Looking at the gender disparity, there are different
trend in other countries whereby the proportion of female academic staff remains fairly
small by international standard (Arimoto, 2008). The rise in aging population did not
spare the academic staff as we see an increase in seniors among the academicians.
For example in Japan, there was a male-dominated profession and about 43.1% of the
entire faculty are 45 years old and above (Daizen and Yamanoi, 2008).
A study done by Light (1974) commented that research is a basic qualification for
the academic profession. Fien (2002) emphasized on the importance of research for
advancing sustainability in higher education. Hence, as academicians, they will have to
invest more time on research while continuing other duties such as teaching,
managerial and administrative (Becher and Parry, 2007; Arimoto, 2004; Becher &
Trowler, 2001; Clark, 1983).
One of the conflicts in academic institution is balancing time spent on research

and time spent on teaching as revealed in our study results and academician in Japan
as reported by Tsukasa Daizen and Atsunori Yamanoi in 2008. According an

international survey in 2007, the difference in work distribution patterns across countries
are partly due to differences in institutional expectations, professional norms and the
proportion of faculty members by academic field. The more time dedicated to research
in these countries is probably related to a substitution of working hours towards
research time due to lower administrative work ( Bently and Kyvik 2012). Apart from
limited time to engage with research activity, trainers are also concerned about difficulty
in obtaining funds for research which is also experienced by academicians in Japan
where they perceived research funding as the lowest satisfaction.
A study done by Izah Mohd Tahir, Nor Mazlina (2009) and Sanmugam,
Rajanthran (2013) revealed that the main motivations for academician to do research
are career promotion, salary increments and recognition. Our study concurred with the
findings above as the trainers agreed that lack of the above motivations deferred them
from doing research. Lack of knowledge and experience in publication further hinders
them from actively being involved in research. Furthermore, research conducted in
MOH colleges currently is not an individual KPI (Key Performance Index) but rather a
KPI for the college itself. Involvement in research activities is a challenging task which
requires both individual and institutional management efforts. Academicians need to
engage themselves actively in research activities for knowledge and development and
professional growth. As mentioned by Yu (2006), academics need to play a proactive
role and take full advantage of available support to develop their dispositions desirable
for research.
Facilities can prove to be influential in providing environments for greater

knowledge creation. According to Price et al (2003), learning and teaching facilities like
library and library facilities and the availability of computers and Wi-Fi received high
importance rating in student’s decision making on choice of university. Physical
infrastructure shortages is one of the limitation in the academic world. Equipment in
skills laboratories and simulation facilities need updating to meet current standards (Bell
et al, 2013). Our study showed similar findings in terms of physical facilities. When

compared, KSKB was more equipped than single colleges. As most of the single
colleges were built over two decades ago, their facilities did not meet current standards.
Sharing of facilities among the colleges and affiliated hospitals is recommended as one
of the strategies to overcome these problems while staggered upgrading and
improvement of the colleges are in process.
In general, the cost of running tertiary education is high. According to the Ministry
of Education Malaysia, government-funded education institutions constitute
approximately 60% of tertiary education providers. Since the corporatization of public
universities, these institutions have become more autonomous and generate their own
sources of revenue through consultancy services, research and expert services
(Morshidi, 2006). Likewise, MOH Colleges will need to seek their own funding if the
corporatisation is established.
Nursing and allied health curricula taught in the MOH colleges are home grown
but some are yet to be revised to keep up with the current times. A commitment to
lifelong learning has to be made an integral part of ethical practice (Glasziou, Burls and
Gilbert, 2008). The medical field is always evolving with the help of technology and
innovations of great minds. As such continued monitoring and evaluation at regular
intervals of these curricula will help maintain a certain standard (Malik and Malik, 2004).
The trainers interviewed in this study agreed the curricula as a whole needed to be
updated. From our findings, advanced diploma in breast imaging and midwifery are two
programmes that have been accredited while 10 more are in the process.
Internationalisation is one of the seven key strategic thrusts for transforming higher
education in Malaysia to be comparable globally. There are many domains involved in
the internationalisation of higher education institutions. Among the domains that are
more often adopted by countries and institutions include international staff and students,
research collaboration, students and staff exchange and cross-border programmes
(Taylor 2010). Strategies to reform and restructure higher education institutions with

attention to human capacity as well as academic curricula are necessary to produce
graduates who are marketable globally (Dewey and Duff, 2009). Currently there are no
international collaboration either in teaching or research among the MOH colleges and
level of English proficiency among the trainers vary. With proper planning and
strategizing, MOH colleges can evolve into University or University Colleges with
international standards.
6. LIMITATION
One of the weakness in this study is due to self-reported distribution of work

which are subject to error of recall when compared to diary-keeping record that will give
more accurate measure of actual working hours or distribution of work. The second
limitation is overlapping academic duties involving research or teaching. There is also
lack of comprehensive and coordinated information on the background of each colleges
which is essential as a gap analysis for the upgrading process of MOH colleges to
University College or University.
7. RECOMMENDATION
Using the Blue Ocean Strategy values and process, the researcher would
recommend areas for improvement and enhancement as discovered from the gap
analysis conducted in this study. First of all, the aim of Blue Ocean Shift is primarily
exploring the new market and moving away from traditional competition within the
industry. Blue Ocean shift encourage us to think strategy beyond competition and
innovate to achieve growth opportunities.
Using the Eliminate – Reduce – Raise – Create (ERRC) grid (W. Chan Kim and
Renée Mauborgne), we focused on the elements or areas requiring improvement and
innovation in order to achieve blue ocean. Ministry of Health have to reassess its role in
providing medical education as it is also the purview of Ministry of Education. By

eliminating duplication of roles in medical education provision for the allied health
professionals, MOH and MOE can realign their focus in terms of resources such as
funding, workforce, infrastructure and expertise. This in turn will reduce the overall high
operational budget, enrollment, scholarships and the maintenance of the facilities itself.
Currently MOH is offering Basic and Post Basic programmes for the allied health
students. And by training its own potential workforce, the training can be tailored to the
needs of the ministry. As suggested earlier, when MOH eliminate its duplication of role
as education provider, it can focus more on Post Basic or Advanced Diploma Program.
Through Post Basic and Advanced Diploma Program, Allied Health professionals can
specialize in area of their interest such as Midwifery, Anesthesiology, Renal, Cardiac
and many more. This is in accordance with increasing subspecialty clinical services
offered by MOH and certainly need specialized nursing and allied health support.
Through this measure, MOH can train allied healthcare professional in specialized area
of care hence high quality service for patients.
As an academic centre, MOH colleges need to encourage and increase their

research activities as it is one of the criteria for establishment of university
college/university. Collaborative research with experienced researcher in either clinical
or public health provide exposure and starting point for trainers in MOH colleges. As
highlighted in this study, time and funds were the hindering factors for the trainers to be
actively involved in research; hence the need to allocate research grant and protected
time for them to conduct their research. Performance monitoring in research as one of
the KPI can also drive the motivation as it create accountability to complete a research
project in stipulated time.

8. CONCLUSIONS
This study assessed the current situation of academic profession in MOH

colleges in view of upgrading our MOH colleges to University College or university.
There are still gaps in terms of resources either trainers or facilities, research
development, and curriculum. Ongoing upgrading of facility, human resource and
curriculum are needed to fulfil the criteria of University College or university.

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Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |i

1.1 BACKGROUND OF MOH COLLEGES

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |1

1.2 RATIONALE OF THE STUDY

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |2

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |3

2.1 General Objectives

a. To analyse the gap of MOH training colleges to become a university college

2.2 Specific Objectives

a. To analyse the current capacity of MOH colleges based on upgrading criteria

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |4

3.1 CRITERIA FOR UPGRADING TO UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Under Malaysia Qualifying Agency (MQA) and Ministry of Education, to be establish

Table 1: Criteria for Upgrading from College to University College

1. Experience  The institution must have been operating for at least 5

2. Paid Up Capital  Institution must have at least RM15 million Paid-up

3. Lecture Workforce  At least 15% of current lecturer workforce holds PhD in a

4. Research and  The institution must allocate 10% of university college

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |5

5. Quality of Training  At least 75 % of programs offered at the institution must

Premises  Within 3 years after upgrade, the institution need to

International  The institution must have at least 10% international

Management of student  Institution must have clear fee-refund policy to its

Governance  At least 40% of the highest governance (Vice- Chancellor,

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |6

Departments) must be qualified with Masters and PhD.

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |7

Phase 1: Qualitative study

 Development of questions for Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and In-depth

Phase 2: Quantitative study

 Development and validation of questionnaire

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |8

3.3.1 PHASE 1: QUALITATIVE STUDY

3.3.1.1 Study Period

3.3.1.2 Study Site

For Qualitative method, seven MOH colleges were involved namely:

i. KSKB Sultan Azlan Shah, Ulu Kinta

3.3.1.3 Sample Size and Sampling Method

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University Page |9

3.3.1.4 Study Tool

A semi-structured questions was used to identify the issues and challenges

3.3.1.5 Data Analysis

3.3.2 PHASE 2: QUANTITATIVE STUDY

3.3.2.1 Study Period

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University P a g e | 10

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University P a g e | 11

3.3.2.3 Study Population

All MOH college trainers were sampled to answer the questionnaire.

3.3.2.4 Sample Size and Sampling Method

3.3.2.5 Inclusion Criteria

Inclusion criteria for self-administered questionnaire:

3.3.2.6 Study Tool

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University P a g e | 12

i. Section A consisted of eight questions pertaining to respondent’s

ii. Section B contained four questions related to teaching and learning

iii. Section C comprised of 17 questions related to career and research

iv. Section D indicate their opinion on upgrading to University College or

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University P a g e | 13

3.3.2.8 Data Analysis

Meanwhile, quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistic 24

3.3.2.9 Ethical consideration

Gap Analysis for upgrading of MOH colleges to University College/University P a g e | 14

4.1 QUALITATIVE RESULTS